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April 24 - 30, 2009 news Suzie Keen “When will we get our heads igh levels of blue-green algae that have forced the closure of Lake Torrens are just a symptom of a wider malaise affect- ing the state’s waterways, according to SA’s Conservation Council. Adelaide City Council closed the lake on Monday because of health and safety concerns over the algae, which can cause skin irritations in people who come into contact with the water. The lake will be re-tested today, with the rain and cooler temperatures expected to slow or stop the algae growth. Conservation Council of SA cam- paigner Jamnes Danenberg said the latest problem, which comes on top of the accidental draining of the lake and another blue-green algae outbreak in February, could be blamed partly on poor stormwater management. Dog faeces, fertiliser, leaves from exotic trees and other rubbish found in unfiltered stormwater run-off all increase nutrient levels in the Torrens, which contributes to the blue-green algae. “We end up with a stagnant pond that just festers,” Mr Danenberg said. Amateur angler: “I won’t be eating what I catch this week.” “Stormwater management, or lack thereof, is the Achilles’ heel of this State Government. It should have been the option of first resort, rather than last resort.” Photo: Kate Elmes He said Salisbury Council had undertaken groundbreaking projects in relation to stormwater harvesting which set an example for the rest of the city. around this? It’s a missed opportunity which continues to see poor-quality water flushed off the streets and into the water.” Mr Danenberg said better stormwater management would also improve the quality of the water flowing from the river to the ocean, bringing benefits for the marine ecosystem. However, he said the community must take some responsibility for the amount of rubbish that ended up in the water. “We have to stop treating our rivers, creeks and landscapes as a dump – there’s an attitude of ‘out of sight, out of mind’ when things get thrown away, but we’re fouling our own nest.” Lord Mayor Michael Harbison acknowledged there was a “reason- ably high” nutrient level in the lake, but said reducing nutrient levels alone wouldn’t make a significant difference to the blue-green algae. Other contributing factors included the oxygen content of the water, temperature gradient, sunlight, water flow and the presence of seeding spores. Mr Harbison said the blue-green algae levels had probably been made worse by the dredging of software program is reading the passage aloud and it begins to make sense. Mariah has Central Auditory Processing disorder. This means she can’t hear well in noisy situa- tions, like at school, and what she writes doesn’t always come out as she thinks. SA’s Specific Learning Difficulties Association helps to educate adults and children like Mariah with learning difficulties. Talking computer spells new hope T Melissa Mack hirteen-year-old Mariah Tejong usually has difficulty reading, but sitting at her computer, a With almost half of all Australians over 15 years old not having the literacy level needed to cope with everyday life, SPELD recommends text-to-speech programs to help people like Mariah and her 11-year-old dyslexic brother Kyle process information easily. Their mother Deborah Camp said her children would benefit greatly from increased exposure to technol- ogy such as the text-to-speech software which read aloud text. “Mariah misses a lot of words when she’s reading. She used to get Government funding but she’s improved to the point where she can’t get more funding, although she’s still got a way to go,” Ms Camp said. Ms Camp said the software would help both her children to cope better with school assign- ments, reading and writing. “Mariah will write a passage and read it back to herself as she wanted to write it. This program helps her see what she’s actually written.” SPELD software advisor Sandy Russo said as learning disabilities were often hereditary, there was a cycle of illiteracy. “Parents trying to help their kids often lack literacy themselves and need to find help.” SPELD uses a free technology, BrowseAloud, on its website, which can be downloaded and help users navigate the site by reading content aloud. “Some of the main benefits of using BrowseAloud over the other free programs, is that it gives the user Australian voices and highlights the text as it is being read so that the user can track the text,” Ms Russo said. Ms Russo said more organisa- tions should make their websites compatible to free programs such as BrowseAloud, to make their content accessible for people who couldn’t afford the standard paid-programs. ??Listen to the rhythm of the falling rain: David Bevan, page 8 The Independent Weekly 3 www.independentweekly.com.au Lake Torrens a stagnant pond H the lake in 1997, after which the pond weed on the bottom had never successfully re-established. However, he said it was only in recent years that more regular test- ing of the water had been carried out, with the lake being closed when levels got too high. “In the old days, you just put up with it,” he said. Mr Harbison said a positive outcome of the recent problems with the lake was that they led to the re-activation of the Torrens Taskforce Reference Group. Two years after it was disbanded, the group is now meeting again to assess the progress of its recommendations to clean up the Torrens. But not all lake users are deterred by warnings about the algae – when The Independent Weekly visited this week, a fisherman visiting from the country was happily casting a line in the water. Despite describing the lake as “an industrial cesspit”, the amateur fisher said the algae was a natural phenomenon. Still, he admitted he won’t be eating anything he catches this week. Mariah Tejong and Kyle Tejong use the text-to-speech program. Photo: Kate Elmes Good habits for bad times? There is a saying in business: you learn good habits in bad times and bad habits in good times. So given the current economic climate, now is a good time to review your organisation. We can take a professional, objective look across all parts of your organisation; implement change programs, succession planning and we offer a tailor-made career transition service covering CV preparation, networking, interview preparation and even financial advice. And because we’re proudly Adelaidian, we know the business community well; we have a unique ability to put people in touch with the key decision makers. To find out more, give us a call. Richard Altman Partner,Strategic HR Philip Speakman Chairman PhilipMorton Managing Partner +61 8 8210 8510 or visit www.mortonphilips.com.au Search, Selection & Strategic HR kwp!MOR10028